Poetry: Looking through the lens of societal and cultural perspective by Zanae ARI

"The United Fruit Co" Pablo Neruda

2017-01-06 15:49:27 UTC

This poem used mock biblical language to describe a series of tragic events and continued exploitation of central america by the richer neighbours to the north
AH

"Alone" by Maya Angelou

2017-01-06 15:49:40 UTC

When the Maya Angelou wrote the poem "Alone", in her society there were conflicts and disagreements toward equal rights between her race, African Americans, and whites. During this time African Americans were being segregated from whites because they were seen as 'lesser' due to their skin color. Maya Angelou was an activist in obtaining equality for African Americans, and worked closely with Dr. Martin Luther King. In the poem she states that "I'll tell you what I know storm clouds are gathering, the wind is gonna blow, the race of man is suffering, and I can hear the moan..." establishing a connection to the real world that the community fighting for their rights need to unite to end suffering, because no one can make it through life on their own.

H.H.

"Breaking through" by Carolyn Rodgers

2017-01-06 15:50:32 UTC

During the time Carolyn Rodgers wrote "Breaking through" civil rights movements were very prevalent. She wrote about breaking through her struggle of being able to define herself. In her society feminism was not widely accepted especially during Civil Rights movements. In her poem she states,
"I've had tangled feelings lately..."
"I ain't been saying nothin but thinking about everything.."
"How do I put myself on paper." She's expressing how it's easy to loose yourself in our world.

-Treva Ray

I,too

2017-01-06 15:51:01 UTC

"i,too" by langston hughes is a poem touching on the issue of racial segregation in the early 20th century. In the poem the narrator is unidentified when it come to his position in the house. During this time African americans were separated and discriminated with everything in life and what the narrator is trying to say is even those he is "the darker brother" he is still American. What Hughes was trying to say in the poem was that blacks are still an important aspect to america's population.

- kg

The Perfect Game by Yesenia Montilla (J. Llamas)

2017-01-06 15:51:13 UTC

In this poem, racial prejudice is a big issue as many people considered Sammy Sosa hideous simply because of his skin color and they completely ignored his talented baseball skills. The author however did not see his skin color as ugly, in fact, she saw it as the opposite. She fell in love with his appearance and impressive baseball skills. She did not notice until later that even though she loved his look he did not. The author writes about the way everyone else saw him (ugly or hideous) and how he himself began to believe these things too. The author states, "Sammy hit 66 home runs one year & that was still not enough to make him feel handsome or worthy." He changed his skin color completely to become the average “white man” and this sadden her as she knew that was not the real him.

2017-01-06 15:51:17 UTC

"Poem by poem" by Juan Felipe Herrera emphasizes the pain of loss and that no one is truly forgotten - directly related to the 9 lives lost in Charleston; and the quote "They are not 9, they are each one" states that people themselves are a unity. The poem emits a subliminal feeling that urges you to unite with people in general, and that you yourself can do something to end violence and to stop the heartbreaking sensation of grief. The poet wrote this during a hard time to bring hope to those who have lost family or friends, and to those who were directly affected; to inspire hope and determination to better society as a whole, and to help heal wounds received by the lives lost.

- James Morazzano

"Sleeping with the Dictionary" by Harryette Mullen

2017-01-06 15:51:19 UTC

In this poem the author speaks of her "love affair" with words and the dictionary. She speaks as if she is personifying the dictionary as if it were her actually lover. She tells us that if we actually studied the words of our own language then we could acquire a new understanding of everything, but it is our own alphabet that is holding us back from that brand new understanding.

- Sean Grundy

"If We Must Die" by Claude McKay

2017-01-06 15:51:32 UTC

In his time period he was effected by the great depression and lost most of his things. He used the poem poem to express how he was feeling ''

If we must die—let it not be like hogs
Hunted and penned"

When Langston hughes wrote "Dreams" he was explaining the importance of holding on to your dreams in time of hardship. Although it was a short poem, it carried a simple but powerful message. Langston wrote, "For when dreams go Life is a barren field frozen with snow." Langston knew in his time where racial differences were a major issue, that if he let go of his dreams his life would have no purpose as a barren field has no use. - TP

2017-01-06 15:52:12 UTC

"Music From Childhood" by John Yau

2017-01-06 15:52:15 UTC

In "Music From Childhood" John tells his experience of living in a household with two languages spoken. In the poem every line repeats itself because there was two languages spoken.
- C.C.

Woman to Woman by Thea Monyee

2017-01-06 15:52:18 UTC

My author was going through a unstable marriage with her husband. She had just met his mistress through the phone and she explains to the mistress how he and she really feels about the situation.
- KB

2017-01-06 15:52:50 UTC

When Adine Cathey quoted " The farm was gone my grandparents and i are apart now they passed away many years ago" Adine grandparents died she wasn't able to keep the farm due to her gender which stoped her from owning something she loved
- Jacques Davis

It was like this: You were happy.

2017-01-06 15:53:06 UTC

When Jane Hirshfield wrote her poem she felt obligated and emotionally attached in writing about life and what everyone not just herself go through. Life before death. Her perspective on life knowing you will die, people perceive in a divergent perspective. Jane Hirshfield has a big imagination she always thought of things that hasn't occurred. In the poem she states " At times you spoke, at other times you were silent.
Mostly, it seems you were silent—what could you say?

Now it is almost over. " She recognized everything life was, by all her experiences she had of it and it was a substantial deal to her.

-Vivian Nguyen

Carrying Our Words MD

2017-01-06 15:53:12 UTC

When Ofelia Zepeda wrote her poem, she was dealing with a relationship problem with her husband. She wanted to fix this relationship while her husband wanted to end it. Her husband described her with very rude and inappropriate words. She decided that those remarks ended her feelings as well. Writing this poem, she describes how words live forever and if they are painful enough, nobody will forget

"The Children of the Poor" by Gwendolyn Brooks; J.P.

2017-01-06 15:54:59 UTC

When Brooks wrote this poem, she expresses the amount of stress and negative affects about having a child, especially during that time period of the 1900's.

¨Crooked Smile¨ J. Cole (JV)

2017-01-06 15:55:04 UTC

He expresses to women that from a male standpoint, he knows it is hard to be pleased with yourself when you have flaws. Consequently, women will have lower self-esteem: they want to stand out more than other women but cannot because of their flaw.

"The Mother" Gwendolyn Brooks (LS)

2017-01-06 16:20:54 UTC

Brooks poem was about abortion. When Brooks mentions "You remember the children you got that you did not get," she is saying that even though you got pregnant with them, you never actually gave birth to your child. She is wrote this to make a political statement being that she is against abortion. She is saying you should not take a life just because you complicated yours.